Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 38
"Would you look at that." John exclaimed softly. He was standing with his arm close around his wife's waist. Craig and Nancy had just come from the dance floor and were standing nearby trying to catch their breaths. They followed his gaze across the ballroom to where Brady and Chloe were dancing slowly to an unheard melody. The song had ended, but they were still dancing, still kissing.
John looked at them tenderly - at the way they fit together perfectly. Like they were made for each other. A match made in
"Heaven?" a voice laughed in his mind. He was caressed by a gentle breeze carrying a familiar scent. He could feel her presence.
"Izzy B?" he called out to her in his head. John loved Marlena more than life itself, but a part of his heart would always belong to his beloved Isabella. She was ripped out of his life too soon, but not before giving him the greatest gift he could ever receive - his son. Their son.
As they looked out on their son, he spoke to her. "You had a hand in this, didn't you?" More laughter. John closed his eyes, a wistful expression on his face. He had forgotten how lovely her laugh was.
"Thank you, Isabella. Thank you for always watching over him." And then with a rustling breeze, she was gone.
John smiled at Marlena and pulled her close. Nancy spoke between sniffles, "My baby, she's so grown up! And so happy!" The four of them stood there, watching the bittersweet reunion of two old souls, their hearts filled with love and pride.
Brady and Chloe were unaware of their audience, oblivious to everything around them. There was only this moment, frozen in time. Brady kissed her, reveling in the feel of her soft lips beneath his, unable to believe that this was really happening.
He had waited for this for so long. He had played the friend while she loved another. He had been the shoulder she cried on every time the bastard broke her heart. He had given everything to her time and time again, only to see her go running back to Phillip.
And now, she was in his arms, kissing him back, her fingers dancing across his back, running through his hair. He tightened his arms, pulled her closer, afraid that at any minute she would fly away.
He had not expected this. He knew it would be good, but not like this. Totally unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. His previous kisses had been about two angry, hurt kids trying to ease their pain for a while in a meaningless act. This went beyond the physical, beyond even the emotional. This was spiritual.
Their connection flashed between them, and once again they heard each other's thoughts. Chloe cried, in the overwhelming beauty of the moment, lone tears running down her face. {My love, I found you. I lost you, and now I've found you.} He deepened his kiss, and tenderly wiped away her tears. {I know.} he replied. {I know.} They continued kissing, lost in emotions and sensations that can't be described, joy radiating from them in vibrant waves.
Of course, this beautiful moment wouldn't last. Belle's loud voice brought them back down to earth, back to reality.
"All right, already. Come up for air!"
Brady and Chloe slowly broke away from each other and acknowledged their audience. Belle, Shawn and their parents were coming up to them. Chloe blushed and buried her face in Brady's chest. He hugged her close to him and shot an evil glare at John.
John held up his hands, a feigned expression of innocence on his face. "Hey my son, turn about is fair play." he smirked.
"What?" Belle asked, confused.
"He means, one good turn deserves another, what goes around comes around, you reap what you sow..." Brady continued.
"Okay, I got it." Belle said.
Brady sighed in exasperation. He and Chloe had just reached a new level in their relationship. They needed to talk privately. He took Chloe's hand and led her out onto the balcony.
Taking his jacket off, he placed it around Chloe's bare shoulders. He looked down at her and cupped her face with his hands.
"How do you feel? I know you said you weren't ready for us, and I'm okay with that. I just couldn't help kissing you." He stared into her eyes intensely.
"I feel... No, it's okay. I'm glad you kissed me. It was..." she trailed off, still unable to put into words what she was feeling, what she had just experienced. That strong connecting of their souls had been so beautiful, and so terrifying at the same time. When they had kissed, they had so blended into each other that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. She had felt like she was drowning, losing control. And control was the one thing she always had to have.
Brady understood her unspoken fears, because he felt them too. "I feel the same way. It's scary, being with someone who knows you so well, you can't hide yourself from them. But, at the same time, it can be very freeing. Because you don't have to hide, or pretend with me, unlike with Phillip. I love you for you, not for what I need you to be. That will never change." he told her, looking into her eyes to reassure her.
Her eyes brimmed with tears and she smiled at him. "Can we go slow?" she asked, her voice small. He grinned wickedly at her and whispered, "I like it slow." He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
They stood for many minutes out on the balcony, under the clear, winter sky. They stood in silence; words were needless, unnecessary for them to share what they were thinking, feeling. They stood for a long time, just enjoying each other's company, enjoying the newness of their relationship.
Softly, the strains of a melody came floating from inside. Brady smiled at his diva. "You know, as much as I love 'Music of the Night', I do believe that this is our song."
"We have a song?"
"Listen." he whispered. The melody could barely be heard. He opened his mouth and sang softly, so softly only she could hear his rich voice.
Her eyes widened with delighted surprise as she recognized "All I Ask of You". She closed her eyes and listened to his beautiful voice as he sang just for her. She responded automatically, when her part came. She didn't think about the notes, or how her mouth was shaped, or her posture. She just felt the song, felt the emotions that Brady brought out in her. Her voice started low, then soared with emotion, filling the air as she let herself go and sang with abandon.
Their voices mixed and blended as they sang, once again forgetting about everything and everyone else, transported by their song to a new realm. Their voices carried inside, and everyone stopped, to hear them sing, wondering if heaven had opened, pouring down it's divine music.
They ended their song and looked deeply in each other's eyes. Chloe then blushed.
"What is it?" Brady asked gently.
"I was thinking of Saturday night in the park. I had asked you what it was like to open yourself up in song, and you said that it was the closest thing to making love." Chloe blushed again and smiled shyly. "I was just thinking that you were right. Not that I have any experience in the other thing, but I imagine that this is what it must be like." She stumbled over her words, embarrassed by the topic.
Brady took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. He rained kisses on her lips, her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids. He smiled warmly at her, and they continued standing there in silence.
Unaware of the pair of eyes watching them. "It appears that I must play the phantom to your Christine, Chloe."
Later, Brady took her home and kissed her goodnight on her front porch. He shook his head in amazement. "I still can't believe this is happening."
"Me neither." She replied, kissing him again.
Up in her room, she undressed and went to bed. Her dreams were filled of the phantom of the night. Brady was saving her from the masked monster who haunted her dreams.
She woke up in the middle of the night, suddenly feeling another presence in her room. She was alone. As she went to get back into bed, her foot collided with an object on the floor.
She picked it up and screamed.
Later…
"He was in my room, he was in my room." Chloe stuttered shakily. She sat shivering in Brady's lap, enveloped by his arms. They were on the couch in the Wesleys' living room. John and Bo were there, along with Craig and Nancy.
When Craig and Nancy first heard Chloe scream, they ran to her room expecting to find her asleep in bed with another nightmare. But she was awake and in shock, muttering over and over 'he was here.' When Craig saw the strange object in her hands, he immediately called Bo. At Chloe's request, they called Brady too, who asked his father to come as well. They were still unsure of what had happened, but they could see that Chloe was distressed. Craig filled them in on their theory that the stalker wasn't Phillip, but someone unknown.
"How do you know he was in your room?" asked Bo, who was taking notes.
"That." she raised a shaky arm and pointed to the object on the table. Bo picked it up slowly. It was a white porcelain mask, designed to cover only half of the face.
"It's the mask the phantom wears in 'Phantom of the Opera.'" Brady explained. "His way of telling us that he was at the ball tonight, watching us."
Bo and John digested this silently. Nancy looked at Chloe worriedly. "I'm going to put Chloe back to bed."
"I'll come with you." Brady said, helping Chloe to her feet.
They entered her room and Chloe hung back, terrified. "I don't want to sleep in here." she sounded like a child, lost and afraid.
"Why don't you sleep in the guest room, sweetie?" Nancy soothed. She got Chloe settled into bed. Brady hugged her and kissed her forehead.
Chloe appeared anxious as he was about to leave. "Can Brady stay with me tonight?" she asked Nancy, eyes wide with fear.
Nancy considered it briefly. She finally sighed. "Yes, but this door stays open, and we are just down the hall." She said firmly.
"Thanks, Nancy" Chloe said, immediately relieved. Brady settled into bed beside her and kissed her temple.
Upon leaving, Nancy turned back to Brady. "I like you, Brady. Let's keep it that way."
"Yes, m'am."
Nancy headed back downstairs.
"Is there a way to identify this guy using the website that Chloe's pictures were downloaded from?" John asked Bo.
Bo breathed deeply. "John, you're talking about a site that was shut down over six months ago. It's not going to be easy. But there might be a way. In order to get those pictures, the stalker would have had to pay money to the site. We could pull the transaction records for that account and generate a list of everyone who paid money to that site. Then cross reference it with a list of known sex offenders, since our stalker has probably done this before, and see what kind of results we get."
"Sounds good." John replied.
"However, this will take a few days, and we could wind up with quite a few names. But it will at least give us a place to start. In the meantime, I'm going to request that regular patrols are made of this neighborhood." Bo picked up the mask. "I'm going to take this in, see if I can't find out where he got it."
Craig thanked Bo and John and walked them to the door. Bo turned to Craig with conviction in his eyes. "We're going to get this guy, Craig. Count on it."
Chapter 38
"Would you look at that." John exclaimed softly. He was standing with his arm close around his wife's waist. Craig and Nancy had just come from the dance floor and were standing nearby trying to catch their breaths. They followed his gaze across the ballroom to where Brady and Chloe were dancing slowly to an unheard melody. The song had ended, but they were still dancing, still kissing.
John looked at them tenderly - at the way they fit together perfectly. Like they were made for each other. A match made in
"Heaven?" a voice laughed in his mind. He was caressed by a gentle breeze carrying a familiar scent. He could feel her presence.
"Izzy B?" he called out to her in his head. John loved Marlena more than life itself, but a part of his heart would always belong to his beloved Isabella. She was ripped out of his life too soon, but not before giving him the greatest gift he could ever receive - his son. Their son.
As they looked out on their son, he spoke to her. "You had a hand in this, didn't you?" More laughter. John closed his eyes, a wistful expression on his face. He had forgotten how lovely her laugh was.
"Thank you, Isabella. Thank you for always watching over him." And then with a rustling breeze, she was gone.
John smiled at Marlena and pulled her close. Nancy spoke between sniffles, "My baby, she's so grown up! And so happy!" The four of them stood there, watching the bittersweet reunion of two old souls, their hearts filled with love and pride.
Brady and Chloe were unaware of their audience, oblivious to everything around them. There was only this moment, frozen in time. Brady kissed her, reveling in the feel of her soft lips beneath his, unable to believe that this was really happening.
He had waited for this for so long. He had played the friend while she loved another. He had been the shoulder she cried on every time the bastard broke her heart. He had given everything to her time and time again, only to see her go running back to Phillip.
And now, she was in his arms, kissing him back, her fingers dancing across his back, running through his hair. He tightened his arms, pulled her closer, afraid that at any minute she would fly away.
He had not expected this. He knew it would be good, but not like this. Totally unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. His previous kisses had been about two angry, hurt kids trying to ease their pain for a while in a meaningless act. This went beyond the physical, beyond even the emotional. This was spiritual.
Their connection flashed between them, and once again they heard each other's thoughts. Chloe cried, in the overwhelming beauty of the moment, lone tears running down her face. {My love, I found you. I lost you, and now I've found you.} He deepened his kiss, and tenderly wiped away her tears. {I know.} he replied. {I know.} They continued kissing, lost in emotions and sensations that can't be described, joy radiating from them in vibrant waves.
Of course, this beautiful moment wouldn't last. Belle's loud voice brought them back down to earth, back to reality.
"All right, already. Come up for air!"
Brady and Chloe slowly broke away from each other and acknowledged their audience. Belle, Shawn and their parents were coming up to them. Chloe blushed and buried her face in Brady's chest. He hugged her close to him and shot an evil glare at John.
John held up his hands, a feigned expression of innocence on his face. "Hey my son, turn about is fair play." he smirked.
"What?" Belle asked, confused.
"He means, one good turn deserves another, what goes around comes around, you reap what you sow..." Brady continued.
"Okay, I got it." Belle said.
Brady sighed in exasperation. He and Chloe had just reached a new level in their relationship. They needed to talk privately. He took Chloe's hand and led her out onto the balcony.
Taking his jacket off, he placed it around Chloe's bare shoulders. He looked down at her and cupped her face with his hands.
"How do you feel? I know you said you weren't ready for us, and I'm okay with that. I just couldn't help kissing you." He stared into her eyes intensely.
"I feel... No, it's okay. I'm glad you kissed me. It was..." she trailed off, still unable to put into words what she was feeling, what she had just experienced. That strong connecting of their souls had been so beautiful, and so terrifying at the same time. When they had kissed, they had so blended into each other that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. She had felt like she was drowning, losing control. And control was the one thing she always had to have.
Brady understood her unspoken fears, because he felt them too. "I feel the same way. It's scary, being with someone who knows you so well, you can't hide yourself from them. But, at the same time, it can be very freeing. Because you don't have to hide, or pretend with me, unlike with Phillip. I love you for you, not for what I need you to be. That will never change." he told her, looking into her eyes to reassure her.
Her eyes brimmed with tears and she smiled at him. "Can we go slow?" she asked, her voice small. He grinned wickedly at her and whispered, "I like it slow." He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
They stood for many minutes out on the balcony, under the clear, winter sky. They stood in silence; words were needless, unnecessary for them to share what they were thinking, feeling. They stood for a long time, just enjoying each other's company, enjoying the newness of their relationship.
Softly, the strains of a melody came floating from inside. Brady smiled at his diva. "You know, as much as I love 'Music of the Night', I do believe that this is our song."
"We have a song?"
"Listen." he whispered. The melody could barely be heard. He opened his mouth and sang softly, so softly only she could hear his rich voice.
Her eyes widened with delighted surprise as she recognized "All I Ask of You". She closed her eyes and listened to his beautiful voice as he sang just for her. She responded automatically, when her part came. She didn't think about the notes, or how her mouth was shaped, or her posture. She just felt the song, felt the emotions that Brady brought out in her. Her voice started low, then soared with emotion, filling the air as she let herself go and sang with abandon.
Their voices mixed and blended as they sang, once again forgetting about everything and everyone else, transported by their song to a new realm. Their voices carried inside, and everyone stopped, to hear them sing, wondering if heaven had opened, pouring down it's divine music.
They ended their song and looked deeply in each other's eyes. Chloe then blushed.
"What is it?" Brady asked gently.
"I was thinking of Saturday night in the park. I had asked you what it was like to open yourself up in song, and you said that it was the closest thing to making love." Chloe blushed again and smiled shyly. "I was just thinking that you were right. Not that I have any experience in the other thing, but I imagine that this is what it must be like." She stumbled over her words, embarrassed by the topic.
Brady took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. He rained kisses on her lips, her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids. He smiled warmly at her, and they continued standing there in silence.
Unaware of the pair of eyes watching them. "It appears that I must play the phantom to your Christine, Chloe."
Later, Brady took her home and kissed her goodnight on her front porch. He shook his head in amazement. "I still can't believe this is happening."
"Me neither." She replied, kissing him again.
Up in her room, she undressed and went to bed. Her dreams were filled of the phantom of the night. Brady was saving her from the masked monster who haunted her dreams.
She woke up in the middle of the night, suddenly feeling another presence in her room. She was alone. As she went to get back into bed, her foot collided with an object on the floor.
She picked it up and screamed.
Later…
"He was in my room, he was in my room." Chloe stuttered shakily. She sat shivering in Brady's lap, enveloped by his arms. They were on the couch in the Wesleys' living room. John and Bo were there, along with Craig and Nancy.
When Craig and Nancy first heard Chloe scream, they ran to her room expecting to find her asleep in bed with another nightmare. But she was awake and in shock, muttering over and over 'he was here.' When Craig saw the strange object in her hands, he immediately called Bo. At Chloe's request, they called Brady too, who asked his father to come as well. They were still unsure of what had happened, but they could see that Chloe was distressed. Craig filled them in on their theory that the stalker wasn't Phillip, but someone unknown.
"How do you know he was in your room?" asked Bo, who was taking notes.
"That." she raised a shaky arm and pointed to the object on the table. Bo picked it up slowly. It was a white porcelain mask, designed to cover only half of the face.
"It's the mask the phantom wears in 'Phantom of the Opera.'" Brady explained. "His way of telling us that he was at the ball tonight, watching us."
Bo and John digested this silently. Nancy looked at Chloe worriedly. "I'm going to put Chloe back to bed."
"I'll come with you." Brady said, helping Chloe to her feet.
They entered her room and Chloe hung back, terrified. "I don't want to sleep in here." she sounded like a child, lost and afraid.
"Why don't you sleep in the guest room, sweetie?" Nancy soothed. She got Chloe settled into bed. Brady hugged her and kissed her forehead.
Chloe appeared anxious as he was about to leave. "Can Brady stay with me tonight?" she asked Nancy, eyes wide with fear.
Nancy considered it briefly. She finally sighed. "Yes, but this door stays open, and we are just down the hall." She said firmly.
"Thanks, Nancy" Chloe said, immediately relieved. Brady settled into bed beside her and kissed her temple.
Upon leaving, Nancy turned back to Brady. "I like you, Brady. Let's keep it that way."
"Yes, m'am."
Nancy headed back downstairs.
"Is there a way to identify this guy using the website that Chloe's pictures were downloaded from?" John asked Bo.
Bo breathed deeply. "John, you're talking about a site that was shut down over six months ago. It's not going to be easy. But there might be a way. In order to get those pictures, the stalker would have had to pay money to the site. We could pull the transaction records for that account and generate a list of everyone who paid money to that site. Then cross reference it with a list of known sex offenders, since our stalker has probably done this before, and see what kind of results we get."
"Sounds good." John replied.
"However, this will take a few days, and we could wind up with quite a few names. But it will at least give us a place to start. In the meantime, I'm going to request that regular patrols are made of this neighborhood." Bo picked up the mask. "I'm going to take this in, see if I can't find out where he got it."
Craig thanked Bo and John and walked them to the door. Bo turned to Craig with conviction in his eyes. "We're going to get this guy, Craig. Count on it."